Ride On!
by psycochick32
Summary: 4H: Hilarity, Hysterics, Heroics... and a little bit of Horror. Summer vacation was never this much trouble - or so much fun. Inu/Kag AU based on LJ Community un love you's prompts.
1. Chapter 1

_Mid-June, 2006_

Kagome shifted her weight forward slightly, loosening her hold on the reins and taking her weight on her calves.

'_Four, three, two-'_ She was cut off from counting strides to the jump as her mare skidded to a halt. Kagome let out a shriek, gripping at Ginger's mane to keep herself from flipping over the horse's shoulder. She groaned as her muscles protested the workout; it was hard to push up off the horse's sweaty neck as the mare backed up, snorting and eyeing the shimmering tub of water between the jump stands as though it might take corporeal form and drown her.

"You're going to-"

"Oi, wench!"

Kagome sighed, turning her head to face Sango; the movement also turned her away from the fuming hanyou stomping toward her angrily. "I think you're right. I'm going to need a crop to get her over this."

"I'm fuckin' talking to you, bitch!" Clawed hands wrapped around the reins near her mare's mouth. Lips thin with irritation, Kagome let her eyes gaze appreciatively up the muscled arm, to slide up a handsome face – currently red with barely suppressed anger. Golden eyes snapped as the young man brandished a helmet toward her. "What the fuck is your problem? Your dad'll be pissed if he heard you were jumping without a helmet. Do you _want_ to be in a coma?"

Kagome bristled. "I wasn't asking for your opinion, InuYasha!"

"You almost got really damn intimate with the ground head-first, moron! You'd spill whatever brains ya' got out of that human head of yours." He held out the green helmet again. "Put. It. On." His tone brokered no arguments.

Having come up on Ginger's other side, Sango shrugged at Kagome's inquiring look. Between a rock and a hard place, Kagome huffed and took the proffered helmet, snapping it under her chin and tightening it angrily.

"Good." Giving the area a once-over, as though there were some maniacal killer on the loose and just waiting to pounce, the young man turned on his heel, storming back to where he had been helping the closest person he had to a best friend stack hay.

"You could at least say 'thank you', InuYasha!" Kagome shouted from her saddle. Though his canine ears flattened to his head at the shrill echo, he refused to give her the satisfaction of a response.

OoO**OoO**OoO

'_Son of a bitch!'_ Making sure nobody was around to witness his little temper tantrum with a flick of his ears and a twitch of his nose, InuYasha lashed out at the nearest thing: kicking a bucket into a nearby empty stall.

It wasn't. Fucking. Fair.

What right did she have to make his heart nearly stop when he realized she was putting herself in danger? Did she have an ounce of common sense in that head of hers? He swore to all the gods, the girl was put on Earth to drive him insane.

Gods damn it all to hell, but he hated this.

Never her. He _couldn't_ hate her. He was hard-wired to take care of her. Just one whiff of her scent and his body went into "protect our mate" mode… whether he liked it or not.

That's what she was; at least, for all intents and purposes, his body believed her to be his mate. If she told him to jump, his body would react before he could stop it. If her stomach rumbled, something in the back of his mind drove her to find a granola bar or sandwich for her to munch on. It was abso-fucking-lutely ridiculous, and he hated being a slave to her whims.

Not that she knew he was looking out for her, of course. InuYasha had sworn he'd never tell her how it killed him to see her upset. Kagome would never, _ever_ learn that his last thoughts before falling asleep were if she were comfortable, if she were warm enough, if there was anything she could possibly need.

When he'd first realized what she represented to him, he'd feared she would laugh or be disgusted. Hanyou were rare in Japan, and he'd grown up knowing little but loneliness. Apparently youkai-human matings were more common here in the States, but the idea that he was lower than everybody else was ingrained on his psyche.

It would have been better if he could have hated her, InuYasha mused as he grunted a greeting to Miroku and resumed his work. Upon his mother's death (his father's having come several years prior), InuYasha had been sent across seas to where his older brother worked… under Kagome's father's leadership at Steelcase headquarters. Kagome had moved to America just two years before and had been assigned to show him around the first few days at school. She laughed, though there was an old pain in her eyes, and joked with him and invited him to sit with her friends. They welcomed him, too; it confused the hell out of InuYasha, but he couldn't deny he was grateful for the change.

Nonetheless, it was absolute hell going to school with the wench his body _craved_ like oxygen. Sharing classes was even worse – he hated the way he could get high off her scent, the way his hands absolutely itched to learn her body… hated the way her laughter made him smile, no matter what his day had been like.

Most of all, he absolutely despised the way he couldn't feel complete if he didn't scent her, see her, hear her… InuYasha _needed_ Kagome, and that made him feel weak.

It wasn't her fault, he reminded himself on a daily basis… not that it did any good. If they weren't sniping or screaming at each other, one would be stoically attempting to ignore the other. Of course, that didn't go well at all, either. Kagome was too damn friendly to hold a grudge… and InuYasha's youkai _howled_ when he knew Kagome was upset about something he'd done.

Which happened quite frequently, he acknowledged with a smirk, as he absentmindedly noticed a moldy smell coming from a bale and tossed it on a small pile of bad hay. For somebody with all the instincts necessary to see to his bitch's every need, he certainly knew exactly what buttons to push to send her into a flaming wrath.

He didn't mind. She was damn hot with her cheeks flushed, eyes glittering as her mind worked feverishly to top him in their verbal sparring, chest heaving from her shouting…

InuYasha groaned. It was _not_ easy to stack hay bales with a hard-on… _'Fuck!'_ He snorted mentally. _'Yeah, that sounds good right about now…'_

He wouldn't though. Ever. He'd rather end up alone than bring Kagome down… she was beautiful. She was smart (when she wasn't doing math). She was talented and had tons of friends and acquaintances. It didn't matter to him that he often felt he'd die without her; he'd die if he crushed her spirit, left her stuck with a hanyou.

InuYasha was so deep in thought he didn't notice when he almost pegged Miroku in the back of the head with the last bale.

Miroku did. "Man, what is your _problem_?"

InuYasha blinked, drawn out of his reverie. Damn it, this is why he didn't like thinking. People could sneak up on him. "Huh?"

"Eloquent as usual," Miroku said dryly, glittering eyes betraying his amusement. "I asked if we had anything else to do. Sango and Kagome are done in the ring and there's another hour or so until the next class. Let's get a work-out in."

InuYasha snorted. "You just wanna show off for Sango."

"It's not my fault I look damn good in chaps," Miroku said, pushing himself off the neatly stacked pile of hay and headed toward his horse's stall. "I'll ask Sango to set up the barrels," he shouted over his shoulder.

InuYasha rolled his eyes but headed toward his own horse's stall.

He may hate how much his body depended on Kagome, but not enough to discourage him from taking part in activities she liked. Sesshoumaru had hinted (not very subtly… an oddity for the youkai, InuYasha remembered thinking) that the girl had taken up riding and that InuYasha might find it a challenge.

Of course, InuYasha didn't sit with all the hoity-toity bullshit Kagome did. She did fucking everything with her one horse – jumping, Hunt seat, Western, speed… hell, even the super-fancy Saddle Seat shit. He wasn't sure how a girl who bounced all over the damn place could act all prim and proper at shows, but hey – women were mysteries the hanyou was sure he'd never unravel anyway.

He'd taken rather quickly to speed classes, though, and was taking up rodeo as well. He hated to admit it, but it _was_ a challenge keeping his horse on track while enjoying the wind on his face…

And, of course, it was another reason to piss off Kagome. Cherokee was a full-blood Quarter Horse; Ginger was an Arabian. Kagome was thoroughly brain-washed in the ways of Arabian owners and could argue Cherokee's "push-button" ways for days if you got her going.

InuYasha had almost finished saddling Cherokee when Kagome squelched by, her mare in tow. The wet slapping of her boots drew his attention; his head followed the swivel of his ears… and his jaw dropped as he realized Kagome's once-white, paper-thin tank top was literally _plastered_ to her upper body... and the water had obviously been exceedingly chilly. In fact, she was sopping wet from head to toe, and from her knee-high boots up, she wasn't hiding a _thing._

InuYasha stifled a groan as his forgotten arousal resurged three times as strong, pulling the blood from his head so quickly he was afraid he'd hit the ground.

Kagome heard the noise, though, and turned quickly to pin him in place with the angriest and yet miserable expression he'd ever seen on her face. _'Fix it, fix it, fix it…'_

InuYasha bit back a curse, and it must have looked like he was trying not to grin, because her mood swung from upset to anger in a heartbeat. "What?" she snapped, looking much less intimidating as water dripped from her hair and down her nose.

Certain none of those hated tears were on their way, InuYasha allowed himself to snicker. "You look like a drowned rat," he admitted easily, ears sliding only a _little_ back as she hissed at him like a pissed off cat. "Problems getting her over the water jump?"

"Gee, ya think?" Kagome shot back. "I don't have anything to change into, either…"

'_Not that I mind,'_ InuYasha allowed himself to admit, eyes roving down her body quickly as Kagome began to untack her mare. His eyes narrowed in on a large scar over her ribcage… like something had gnawed into her. _'What the fuck is that?'_

"Where'd ya get that scar?" he questioned swiftly, wishing he could take it back as Kagome gaped at him.

"What?"

"The… uh, you know. I… the scar! On your ribs!" InuYasha babbled, a bit worried by the spike in her spiritual powers. He'd known she had them, but rarely used them… so why were they coming out now? "I mean, I wasn't lookin' or nothing, but your shirt's wet and-" He clamped his mouth shut.

Kagome gulped and turned her attention back to her mare. Now she smelled of anxiety – not a pleasant scent. "I… can't talk about it, InuYasha," she muttered. She swiftly changed the subject, "Are you going to work Cherokee or not? You said you'd take me home and I want to get back before dark."

InuYasha wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, yeah. I'm on it. Grab a pair of my sweat pants and a shirt from my truck," he muttered. When she blinked at him in confusion, he forced himself to continue gruffly, "I don't want you getting my seats wet."

Kagome huffed and stomped wetly back down the aisle. InuYasha allowed himself a few moments of admiring her fine ass before tearing his eyes away and cursing his lack of self-control.

'_Please change… I don't think I'd get us home in one piece as hard as I am,' _InuYasha winced, willing himself to calm down before he hopped on. The jagged scar surfaced in his mind again… he needed to know what had happened. Was she attacked? When did it occur? Why did she seem so anxious about it? He tensed, _'Could something still be after her?'_

Grabbing Cherokee's reins, InuYasha made his way to the arena. If anybody would have answers… Kagome's best friend would.

A/N:

This is a story based on a series of prompts for the LiveJournal community un_love_you.

There will be 30 chapters, one for each prompt.

Prompt: "Author's Choice: I don't want to need you."


	2. Chapter 2

_Mid-July, 2005_

InuYasha's ears twitched as he growled angrily; could the person in front of him move any slower? He wanted off the kami-forsaken plane and he wanted off _now_. _'The old bat is gonna have a heart attack and croak before we get off,' _he groused.

Much to his pleasure, the old bat slipped back into the seats to grab something out of her carry-on bag; he pushed past her, shaking his head slightly and willing his ears to pop.

'_I fucking hate planes,'_ he groaned, _'If I ever have to get on another one, it'll be way too damn soon.'_

It felt like hours before he got through customs and down to baggage claim; once there, he scented the air lightly. He hadn't seen the bastard in years, but he'd be hard-pressed to forget that scent… _'There!'_ His ears twirled ahead of his body as he tried to shove his way over to the carousel that would bring him the rest of his baggage. It took InuYasha only a minute to find the silver head towering over everybody else; he headed in that direction quickly and then screeched to a halt.

Next to his asshole of a brother was a stunning young woman chatting earnestly at him in Japanese. Sesshoumaru seemed content to listen to her babbling, oddly enough; the asshole had never struck InuYasha as the type to put up with a blabbermouth...

'_Maybe it's a girlfriend,'_ he thought. _'Fan-fucking-tastic. Not only do I have to live with him, but I have to put up with him being all lovey-dovey.'_ The thought made him sick, quite frankly, and he was tempted to just turn around and lose himself in the crowd.

"Oh, is that him?" the girl shrilled, and InuYasha cringed as he heard his brother's affirmative rumble. He steeled himself and made his way over, ears still twitching rapidly. There were no hugs, no cheerful greetings; the two men glared at each other as if they wished nothing more than to hack each other to pieces.

"Hi!" The girl interrupted, holding her hand out. "I'm Kagome," she added in Japanese. "Welcome to Michigan. You are?"

InuYasha glowered at the girl, twitching his nose slightly as her scent (remarkably clear of his brother's scent, InuYasha noticed in passing) caused something in him to shift…

Something he pushed right back to where it _fucking belonged._

"InuYasha," he said curtly, in English. "We're in fucking America, why aren't you fucking speaking English?"

Kagome blinked, cheeks turning pink and eyes flashing. "Well excuse me, jerk! I'm just trying to make you a bit more comfortable."

"Ignore him," Sesshoumaru interjected smoothly. "He is an imbecile."

"Keh," InuYasha spat. "I'm fuckin' tired… my body think it's like, twelve or thirteen hours later than it is, and if it's all the same, you can leave the happy girlfriend-boyfriend shit at the door." InuYasha turned to level a fiery look at a scandalized woman who was covering her children's ears. He spun back just in time to catch a glimpse of the absolute disgusted look on the girl's… Kagome's, was it?

"Ewwww!" she shrieked, looking at Sesshoumaru as though he were some sort of bug. He cocked an eyebrow, as though unsure whether or not to be offended by her repulsion. "Him? Me? Happy…" She made a gagging noise, stopping to giggle at the now definitely disgruntled look on the older brother's face. "Sorry, Sesshoumaru, but you're just not my type-"

"And I am almost ten years your senior," he reminded, "making you quite illegal."

"Like that would stop you?" InuYasha muttered, eyes on the luggage that had begun to truck out. He just barely dodged his brother's fist, hissing as it clipped an ear. "What the fuck?"

Sesshoumaru's face didn't give away his irritation; his flaring aura, though, did. "You would suggest I have so little honor as to take advantage of a young woman?"

Kagome missed whatever InuYasha muttered in response, and figured she was most likely thankful for it – he didn't seem to be the most friendly guy she'd ever met – but they were starting to draw a crowd and that was the last thing they needed.

"Knock it off," Kagome hissed at Sesshoumaru. "Everybody's staring; you're making a scene." InuYasha snickered until she turned on him, "And _you_. Watch your language! You're going to scar the children around here!"

She was kind of hot when she was pissed, InuYasha thought for a moment… before flushing and pushing _that_ thought away, to join his musings on her scent. _'I don't need this shit right now. I'm too tired to figure out what the fuck it means.'_ A welcome distraction appeared in the form of his suitcases; he grabbed them and turned back, obviously ready to go.

"I'm ready to sleep any time we want to get going."

Closing his eyes for just a moment, as if resisting the urge to roll them, Sesshoumaru led the two teens to the parking lot. By the time they reached the car, InuYasha had realized one thing: Kagome didn't seem to _ever_ shut up.

By the time they'd hit the expressway, InuYasha realized she had an opinion about _everything_. Almost half of them contradicted his own, and he'd been rather quick to set her straight. Or try to. He began to wonder if she argued just to be contrary.

He'd also come to the conclusion that he would very willingly sign away his life to stay in the car, wrapped in her scent… but blamed the momentary thought on his sleeplessness.

OoO**OoO**OoO

He just. Kept. Arguing!

He was absolutely _infuriating!_ Kagome had half a mind to turn around and purify him into powder. Sesshoumaru's _'I-know-something-you-don't-know'_ look was starting to grate on her nerves, too. How he could look so calm when she was five seconds away from turning around and just-

'_Deep breaths, girl.'_ She stared at him through the mirror tucked behind in the sun visor. InuYasha wasn't that bad… when his mouth was shut. Those ears were so cute! Of course, he was hanyou… but he hadn't made any moves to acknowledge her miko power at all. Maybe it ran in the family. Or maybe his human blood made him less sensitive?

Either way, there was no point in looking a gift horse in the mouth. Kagome was appreciative, and it certainly went a long way toward making her like him.

"Feh, you gonna stare at me all the way home, bitch?"

A loooong way… that he counteracted with every word out of his mouth!

Kagome had just taken a deep breath, with the intentions of attempting to blow out InuYasha's hearing, when Sesshoumaru interrupted smoothly. "Must you insist on using such foul language?"

"What the fuck do you care?"

Kagome blinked, and jumped to answer first. "Don't be rude! He's your brother!"

"And now, your legal guardian," Sesshoumaru added, turning down a long dirt driveway. "Anything you do reflects on me."

Kagome shook her head. "Wow, what brotherly love you two share." She sighed. "Souta and I may not be super-close, but we still _care_ about each other."

"Feh," InuYasha blew her off, stoking Kagome's ire. "I'm a hanyou, in case you haven't noticed, _wench._ The world don't care about a lone hanyou."

"That's not true!" Kagome was aghast. "Don't you _ever_ let me hear you put yourself down for something that like," she demanded, meeting his eyes and holding them, entranced by the strange emotion swimming deep inside. "First of all, it doesn't matter _what_ you are. What's important is _who_ you are and _what_ you do. And secondly," she looked away at this, staring out the window, "a child doesn't ask to be born to their parents. A child has no say in the matter. There is never _any_ reason to hold a child's origins against him or her."

Pushing open the door, Kagome turned to look at Sesshoumaru. "Thank you for dropping me off. I'm sure dad will want you and InuYasha to come to dinner sometime this week. If you need me for anything, I'll be here each day; I have a show next week." At Sesshoumaru's acknowledgment, she turned to InuYasha. "If you truly feel that way about yourself… I feel sorry for you."

InuYasha sputtered, shouting out, "I don't need your damned pity!" as she slammed the door and headed toward a large red barn, nose in the air.

He _didn't_ need it, InuYasha insisted to himself. That weird feeling in his stomach was from jetlag… and nothing else.

A/N:

This is a story based on a series of prompts for the LiveJournal community un_love_you.

There will be 30 chapters, one for each prompt.

Prompt: "I pity you."


	3. Chapter 3

_Mid-July, 2005_

InuYasha had been in America for a week; his body was finally back in shape after sleeping ridiculously odd hours for a few days.

'_Stupid fucking jetlag.'_ It didn't help that the pressure on the plane had fucked with his ears and his sense of balance – something Sesshoumaru had actually broken out of his usual silence to _smirk_ at! _'Asshole.'_

"Dinner is ready, InuYasha. You will eat with me and we will discuss plans for the next year or two."

InuYasha blinked, staring through his open bedroom door at Sesshoumaru's retreating back. The two brothers had been doing their best to avoid each other – well, as well as they could while living in the same house.

In InuYasha's opinion, Sesshoumaru was ridiculously ambitious and probably wouldn't come home from his work if he didn't have to make sure InuYasha hadn't died in the hours he was left to his own devices. Sesshoumaru was fourth in command in the engineering and design division of the business; not a bad position for the 26-year-old youkai.

Sitting at the table, InuYasha stiffened under Sesshoumaru's obviously scrutiny. "What?"

"You will be in your 11th year of schooling here, correct?"

InuYasha snorted. "Yeah." Maybe if he kept his answers short, this stupid "family dinner" would end and he could escape back to his room.

"The education here is admittedly poor; you will unfortunately be attending a public school." Sesshoumaru's face took on a reproachful expression as he pulled out an envelope from somewhere beside him. "Your grades are abysmal and your old school says you have an 'attitude problem.' You will not embarrass our family's good name. You will raise your grades and graduate with honor. You will behave as is expected the son of a strong taiyoukai." It was the longest speech Sesshoumaru had made since InuYasha met him; a sign his half-brother was deathly serious.

'_Fuck that. I'm not taking shit from nobody, especially at school.'_ InuYasha growled at the memories of the shit he'd dealt with at his old school. He'd let the world know just how "weak" hanyou could be… his ears drooped, though, at the thought of how disappointed his mother had been every time he'd gotten into a fight. He'd never tell her that he fought for her honor, to combat the shit his asshole classmates bandied around about the kindest woman InuYasha would ever know; she didn't deserve to hear it from her own son.

Sesshoumaru smoothly interrupted InuYasha's train of thought. "We will be dining with the Higurashi family tomorrow night. You will make yourself presentable and keep a leash on your tongue."

"The whos?" InuYasha spat. He didn't _want_ to go have dinner with some fuddy-duddy family. Hell, he didn't want to be here at all! Son of a bitch, but he hadn't chosen to come life with Sesshoumaru… the least the asshole could do was leave him the hell alone…

Sesshoumaru looked like he would have liked to sigh if he had any less self-control. "The Higurashi family. Kenji Higurashi is my superior at work. You have met his daughter; she accompanied me to the airport." Sesshoumaru had an indistinguishable look on his face as he imparted this information…

InuYasha didn't notice it. "The wench?" His left ear twitched as he recalled the lovely blabbermouth who'd been in the car. What was her name? Kigami? Kaname? Ka-something, he was sure of it. Kagome? The last one seemed right… something in him twitched again – a feeling he had associated with jet lag at the airport. _'Fuck, what the hell?'_ Somewhere, deep inside, a pleased purr echoed.

InuYasha lifted his head just in time to see a very small satisfied smile appear on Sesshoumaru's face. He wasn't sure what to make of his half-brother's obvious amusement… nor the strange reaction he'd had to the wench.

God _damn_ it, she had no right to throw him into turmoil without even being there!

"I'm going outside," InuYasha announced, standing abruptly.

OoO**OoO**OoO

InuYasha stood snarling in a polo shirt and jeans, tugging unhappily at his collar. "Why the fuck am a dressed like a pansy, again?"

A lesser youkai would have rolled his eyes. Sesshoumaru merely let out a _very_ tiny snort of annoyance; his patience was running thin. "My guardianship of you proves my ability to lead and provide. You _will_ make a good first impression with my superior." After a moment, he added, "You did, of course, fail to do so with his daughter."

InuYasha rolled his eyes. Like he cared what the wench thought. He pushed down the tiny voice in the back of his mind that he _did_ care – very much so, in fact. _'Feh. Not like I know her well enough to care about her opinion.'_

Sesshoumaru had only just rung the bell when both youkai and hanyou heard a muffled and yet unmistakably angry shriek… followed shortly by thumps of somebody obviously falling down a flight of stairs. InuYasha raised a brow at Sesshoumaru, who hadn't so much as batted an eyelash.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru! This must be your younger brother?" A kind-faced man – probably in his 50s, InuYasha estimated – opened the door and motioned for both to step inside.

"Half-brother," InuYasha corrected automatically, looking around and taking in the various scents in the new ground. His ears twitched like tiny satellites to catch each sound as he systematically discounted each as a threat.

He wouldn't put it past Sesshoumaru to drop him off in hostile territory and take off.

Sesshoumaru was about to start making introductions when what sounded like two people began darting toward where they stood in the entryway. Both Sesshoumaru and InuYasha turned their heads to the hallway; Mr. Higurashi pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering a, "Pardon me," before shouting, "Souta! Kagome! Knock it off, we have company!"

Boyish laughter trailed from the hallway along with footsteps coming toward them at a fairly impressive clip. Suddenly a blue and white flash – a boy, the aforementioned Souta, InuYasha guessed – zipped in between the trio. His socks caught on the wood flooring, however, and his forward momentum was hampered by his flailing arms.

Mr. Higurashi caught the boy by the back of the shirt, scowling as he noticed the bright pink bra in the kid's hand.

"Souta! I swear to all the kami you are going to-" InuYasha's attention went from the bra (he hoped he wasn't blushing) to the hallway entrance yet again as Kagome made her appearance...

Sopping wet, dressed in nothing but a fluffy white bath towel – covering her from the tops of her breasts just above mid-thigh.

InuYasha gaped and nearly choked on his tongue. _'Oh… holy fucking shiiiiiiit…'_

Kagome shrieked, flushed, and spun on her heels to escape the entryway… where Souta was now on the floor laughing.

OoO**OoO**OoO

The Taisho brothers left shortly after dinner; it had been a stilted affair, with Kagome turning every possible shade of pink and gradually moving on into the reds… she refused to look directly at InuYasha, which made things rather uncomfortable, since he'd been sitting directly across from her.

InuYasha had been both amused by her mortification and yet had an almost undeniable impulse to hide her, to protect her from the uncomfortable feelings even he knew he was the cause of… what fucking sense did that make?

Of course, _he_ couldn't look at her _at all_… not without picturing her as she'd looked obviously just out of the shower, panting with exertion… _'Fuck! Stop thinking about it!'_ Instead, he'd listened as Sesshoumaru and Mr. Higurashi made small talk about work and answered Mr. Higurashi's questions about his background.

Once back on "home turf," Sesshoumaru followed InuYasha up to his room when the teen tried to make his escape. "Kagome… you have feelings for her, obviously. Why did you not act?"

Well, that was both unexpectedly direct and unnecessary.

"What the fuck?" InuYasha demanded with a low growl. "Are you my brother or my fucking proctologist? Get the hell out of my ass and leave me the fuck alone!"

"Do not play me for a fool," Sesshoumaru commanded. "The scents, the looks; you don't know her and yet are drawn to her. A true youkai would not have let a prime opportunity pass…"

InuYasha wasn't sure whether Sesshoumaru was talking about her being mostly naked or the dinner afterward… "I'm hanyou, anyway, asshole. And for fuck's sake, get out of my room!" InuYasha flopped on his bed, unwilling to have this discussion. Especially with the Ice Prince himself, damn it! He'd much rather be lying in bed thinking about those kami-forsaken mile-long legs…

"I have seen this behavior before, InuYasha," Sesshoumaru said… a strange tone in his voice, InuYasha warily noted. Then again, Sesshoumaru was already taking a far too keen interest in what could, _maybe at some point far in the future_, become some form of familiarity…

"Go. Away."

"You're acting just like father did."

A/N:

This is a story based on a series of prompts for the LiveJournal community un_love_you.

There will be 30 chapters, one for each prompt.

Prompt: "You remind me of someone."

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.


	4. Chapter 4

_Late July, 2005_

InuYasha lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, frustrated beyond belief.

"_You're acting just like father did."_

It'd been a little over a week since Sesshoumaru had dropped that fucking bombshell on InuYasha, and he still wasn't sure of what to think of it.

The fact of the matter was that he'd never really gotten to know his father. The youkai had been killed when InuYasha was just a child; his memories were fuzzy at best and based more on pictures than actual interaction. His mother, of course, would tell him stories of her beloved but these really weren't the same as actually being with him.

Was being like his father a good thing? The man had been amazingly well-connected, well-respected (despite having fathered a hanyou), a shrewd businessman and, by all accounts, a loving husband.

So why did Sesshoumaru sound so… sort of disgusted by the whole idea?

It was irritating… to put it lightly. Sesshoumaru was being confusing as all hell, and it wasn't like InuYasha knew anybody in this kami-forsaken empty area of land. He'd gone out for a few runs here and there but it was horribly humid out and he'd only gotten about a mile before turning back, sweating profusely and huffing like he hadn't run in years.

It didn't help that he hadn't been able to sleep at all. At least, not since the dinner at the wench's house. Every time he closed his eyes, he pictured her standing the hallway… water dripping down her towel-clad body, eyes sparking as she glared after her brother, chest heaving from yelling…

"Aw, man," InuYasha groaned, shifting a bit as his shorts grew increasingly uncomfortable and confining.

Stupid bitch, intruding where she wasn't wanted… much less needed!

OoO**OoO**OoO

Dinner – like all the others before it – was stilted. Sesshoumaru tended toward silence anyway, and InuYasha didn't have anything he'd like to say to his brother. He'd prefer to eat in his room, but Sesshoumaru had shot the idea down rather quickly; he insisted on "proper" meals.

InuYasha scowled. "Proper" his ass – Sesshoumaru had something up his sleeve and InuYasha wasn't too thrilled about having to sit around, waiting to find out.

"InuYasha," Sesshoumaru finally said, breaking the silence and causing InuYasha to nearly leap out of his chair in shock. "I notice you have barely left the house since arriving. Is there are reason?"

"It's fuckin' hot out there," InuYasha said, a bit baffled that the fact had somehow escaped the youkai's notice. "And humid as hell! It's like running through an ocean! I don't get that wet in the damn shower!"

Sesshoumaru allowed himself a small sniff. "You will adjust to the weather in time; what better way to do so than to actually venture outdoors?"

"I don't have anywhere to go," InuYasha pointed out. "I hate running for the sake of running. It's stupid."

"It's exercise and will keep you in shape."

"I'm a damned hanyou! I have the metabolism of a youkai and the scrawniness of a human; I don't need to be in any more shape!"

Sesshoumaru let out a snarl. "Must you argue with everything?"

"When you're bein' stupid, yeah!"

The two had slowly leaned in toward each other, eyes narrowing angrily. Sesshoumaru didn't often let himself give in to simple emotions, but his ward knew how to push his buttons better than anybody.

A knock at the door interrupted what may have been an epic battle.

And with that knock, Sesshoumaru's scowl melted into a hint of a smirk that raised the hair on InuYasha's neck. Nothing good could happen when Sesshoumaru was that pleased.

Zilch. Nada. _No-thing._

"Ah, our guest has arrived."

"Guest? What guest?" A brush of reiki against his youki had InuYasha scrabbling out of his chair. "No, no, no! I did _not_ invite the wench over!"

"But I did, InuYasha, and as this is my domicile, I will invite anybody I wish."

"Why?" Even InuYasha would admit he was whining at this point… and he didn't have a decent explanation. Kagome was argumentative and frustrating but also gorgeous and sweet and…

'_And giving me more wet dreams than I suffered through in puberty!'_

Without any further ado, Sesshoumaru threw open the door (well, gently opened it, but it everything seemed louder and more intimidating suddenly) and led in the miko who still haunted his thoughts and dreams.

'_Damn it.'_

OoO**OoO**OoO

Slamming the door behind her, Kagome stalked away from the house. InuYasha was lucky her father had come to pick her up, or she would have fried him to a crisp…

Or kissed him.

No! _No, no, no!_ Kissing was _baaaaaad_. Wrong! She didn't want to kiss an uncouth, rude, annoying boy like him! Especially when he was being such a jerk!

Okay, so his ears were absolutely adorable. And looked as soft as her favorite teddy bear.

And his hair was to die for. So thick and shiny; she wondered what kind of shampoo and conditioner he used. Did he blow-dry it out? Somehow, she had a hard time visualizing him primping in front of a mirror every day. She pouted at the thought – it wasn't fair! How could somebody so absolutely _annoying_ be so sinfully delicious-looking?

She honestly hadn't expected InuYasha to be so… exasperating. Sesshoumaru was refined. A little boring sometimes, but well-mannered, polite, and always willing to help her out as necessary. It was possible he was just kissing up to her father, but even so – he did so in a way that wasn't overly exaggerated or condescending towards her. Of course, he'd warned her of his younger brother's "attitude" but Kagome had written it off as sibling rivalry.

Yeah, right! It was like InuYasha was determined to fight everybody on everything!

She hadn't even done anything wrong! Just invited him to a movie; she thought it'd be fun to get to know him, now that she could look at him without turning sixteen shades of red and thinking of the way he'd stared, wide-eyed, at her barely-covered body the day that _brat_ Souta had stolen her bra.

But _no_, he couldn't be polite! He didn't want to see "a girly movie" and the action flick she suggested "had a stupid story." Psh, like he'd pay enough attention to the story? There was a scantily-clad woman and explosions – what else did guys go to movies to see? In her limited experience, that was pretty much it.

Of course, her friend Miroku would accompany her to chick flicks just to ogle the other ladies in the theater. So maybe her experience was… special.

Still, if he hadn't wanted to go, he could have just said "no" rather than making disparaging comments about her choice in movies, her other suggestions, and even her attitude toward his brother…

Jerk! That's what he was! A jerk!

And yet, she couldn't help but feel bad for him. She wondered if he'd had any friends in Japan. The country was well-known for being very proper, very focused on blood-lines and families. A half-demon wouldn't have fit in very well…

Once she cooled down, she decided, she'd figure out how to get InuYasha out of his shell. There had to be _something_ in him worth salvaging!

OoO**OoO**OoO

InuYasha lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, seething.

What right did she have to come in and turn his life upside-down? Why the heck was he so nuts around her, anyway? Ignoring her was like climbing a mountain – a snow-covered one, with ice and wind and no hiking gear. It was nigh-impossible; the worst part was that he wasn't sure if he _wanted_ to ignore her.

In fact, ignoring her _hurt_. Caused a part of his mind to scratch for freedom, to fight with him to grab her and take her far away.

Hence his irritating attitude. He didn't want to ignore her, but he didn't want to give in. She destroyed his self-control; InuYasha absolutely loathed that. No matter the fights he'd been in, he'd always been firmly in control. He hadn't lost himself to his demon-half more than once in his life.

Kagome made him toe the line of _wanting_ to lose control.

And so he picked at her. Sniped at her, verbally sparred. She was gorgeous when she was glowing with frustration and anger; and she was paying attention to him, which made that tiny part of him purr with happiness.

'_Damn it.'_

Anger… frustration… loss of control. And happiness. How could one stupid human girl tie him up in knots like this?

Unaware that he was growling to himself, InuYasha was pulled from his musings as Sesshoumaru peeked his head around the door.

"You'll figure it out eventually… and when you do, it will be amusing."

InuYasha rolled to the side, glaring up at him. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"I don't get it." InuYasha snagged his pillow and took aim, sighing with frustration when Sesshoumaru easily dodged the projectile.

"You're ridiculous. You let yourself lose control; you snipe at the one woman who will make you happy."

"She doesn't make me happy!" InuYasha protested. "She pisses me the hell off!"

Silence reigned.

Sesshoumaru glared.

"I was wrong about you," he finally said. "You won't figure it out – you're a fool."

A/N:

Geez, has it been a while or what? I apologize for the several-months-long delay; I've been playing in other fandoms and real life has been ridiculously hectic. However! I have sworn to never leave a story unfinished and I meant it! The rest of this story is fully planned out… now it's a matter of getting it onto "paper" and posted :)

This is a story based on a series of prompts for the LiveJournal community un_love_you.

There will be 30 chapters, one for each prompt.

Prompt: "I was wrong about you."

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.


End file.
